Is it me, but have people noticed that there aren't many miniatures available on ebay anymore? It could be the case that those who bought miniatures and decided to get out of the game have sold what they had and those of us who still play have bought them up.

It appears that there may not be a golden horde in someone's closet that we all want to get our hand on. I still need Corsair arlbalesters and Harad Warriors with blowpipe.

I disagree. I find the supply on ebay to be pretty ample. Certain figures are insanely over-priced or hard to come by, admittedly. However, I find the supply to be pretty cyclical; a certain fig will disappear for a few weeks and then be in overabundance a month later. These are just my experiences, though, so take them at face value. I must also say that I've never looked for the minis you mentioned...

Edit: Here's an arbalester for you, being sold by a German seller (of which there are a few that peddle OOP figs).

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Last edited by Monotone_Matt on Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

This is something I have been noticing myself lately.There are pieces I am still looking for to complete my modest collection.The quality and availability have been diminishing over the past few months.

I actively watch Ebay and GW's site every day to review the offerings.I see the same things... Cyclical. Overpriced OOP.Some nicely painted stuff and horribly painted stuff.Understandably some don't want painted models, or want to hassle stripping plastic.

I feel (IMHO) that our collective is very tuned into what is happening.My speculation is as interest wanes, availability and prices will increase.The desire for LOTR collectibles is still strong, even among non-SBG'ers.Do all you can to shore up your existing collection now.

For myself, the One-Ring has an excellent Forum for trading.Get on board and start trading your excess.I used this with great success over the last year-and-a-half.For this I thank all the members and Ringwraiths!

In general, the price has been going up. Still, many of the models included in BGiME are much cheaper than from GW itself. Armies that are popular have always gone for outrageous prices. (Easterlings, I'm looking at you!) Dwarves are hot right now and finding metal dwarf models for cheap will not happen.

Also, watch that exchange rate! I find that British Pound doesn't fluxuate against the Canadian $ like the US $ does. The Euro is relatively low right now, so buying from Ireland and Europe has strong pros for me. Also, I find UK shipping has really gone up this year. Ebay has a built-in currency converter, which I love.

Hobbit Trilogy models can be had marginally cheaper than from GW, but I find with the shipping it's better to save up and buy direct.

I find N. America to have little selection and be very expensive. I use the UK site, most are willing to ship to Canada. I also have favorite sellers I've bought from for several years and know that I like to pay once a month to save on shipping. Most of the big sellers are pretty good about this, especially if you have a big order, have bought lots or have been reliably paying when asked.

_________________"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

I agree that there is a cycle to it. It is usually for a period of weeks that the market is good, and then for a couple months the market is bad. I experience the same problems you all have, but being in the US makes some of them worse. The rally behind the game is not as large here, so there are not as many buyers/sellers. And when they are, they gouge you for prices. I have seen as stupidly ridiculous as 40 dollars for the newer 12 pack of WoMT. Total foolishness. I do get some good deals at time. Just recently I got a spider queen with swarm for 12 USD cheaper than what GW is asking for. So no complaints there.

Of course the largest problem in the US is that many people start the hobby, and then give it up rather quickly because it is a costly investment. So many of the pieces I see are terribly painted or ill taken care of and broken or the seller is lying about it with false pictures(I somehow ended up with Sharku ridding a three legged warg despite the pic showing all four limbs there, hmmmm, curious). I am no pro, but I DO take value of my pieces and prefer to be able to get them new on sprue. I have purchased a few put together and painted pieces before though because I wanted to increase my collection in that faction and they were cheap(best deal ever was 36 haradrim warriors for 20 USD with a half dozen badly painted that I stripped and redid).

Overall, I do prefer to try and purchase from overseas, because even though the shipping goes up, you good people in the UK, AUS, NZ, and Europe have a much better idea of how to price.

I think it is all just a matter of patience and having to be a good searcher for what you want.

It depends on what you're looking for. Plastic troops can be had for super cheap. I got the old RotK box for $25 dollars, 48 minis and some terrain for that price is insane. I also got a box of about 60 Moria goblins, a couple heroes, a cave troll, a warg chieftain, some old wargs, 9 Prowlers and 6 spiders for $70.

It makes sense that it goes in a cycle, doesn't it? A few sell in high dollar auctions, and then after some time, people see the prices and sell off what they either don't need or simply don't like more than the cash. I'd consider myself an avid collector and fan (though I definitely don't have everything) but after seeing the going rate for some things like Arathorn and Halbarad, even I'm tempted to sell.

i could never sell a figure i only have one of, it would make the collection incomplete. Crazy prices on some figures recenlty, a Halbarad sold for £170 on ebay last week, UK

Mine is nowhere near complete. Mostly because as the line got on, there were more and more things I absolutely detested in my core. Now, those are some of the things that cost the most money so I'm even more unlikely to get them and will almost certainly never have "one of everything."

Especially considering the fact that I would consider things like Thorongil, Beruthiel, etc to be necessities to completing the entire range.

It is definitely a sellers market right now. Especially if you have the oop metals. I have also thought about cashing in on some of the metals that I have multiples of, but then I slap myself for being so ridiculous and remind myself that multiples are neccessary for any army.

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